


Uncommon Grounds

by keraunoscopia



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Date Interrupted, F/M, Feelings, New Relationship, coffeeshop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 19:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16708744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keraunoscopia/pseuds/keraunoscopia
Summary: “Be quiet they’ll hear you,” Vic whispers, though her voice is much louder than it should be for a whisper, and she leans to the side, still slumped dramatically in her chair.“Who will hear us?” Lucas asks with a chuckle, craning his neck to look over his shoulder, but the smile fades quickly when he spots exactly who Vic had. Andy, Maya, Travis. The three people in the station certain to make a fuss, the ones most definitely unable to look the other way.





	Uncommon Grounds

Its new, Vic reminds herself as she sits across the table from Lucas in a small coffee shop, just a little off the beaten path, coffee cup clasped between both hands, fighting back a smile. Its new and its thrilling and her cheeks hurt just a little because she can’t ever seem to stop smiling around him. 

He’s talking, explaining why he ended up in Seattle, and Vic hadn’t realized that he’s only been here for fifteen years, that he’d spent most of his life across the country. She’s interested in what he has to say, she really is, and she listens intently, wide eyed, but still, she can’t help her mind from straying, because she’s never met someone who smiles so much with their eyes before, the soft creases in his forehead, around his eyes, around his smile warm her from the inside out. Its new, she reminds herself, but she’s already done for, because she looks at him, and he gives her that little grin, like everything she does is absolutely adorable, and she just melts. 

“What about you, you’ve been with the department for a year or so now?” He asks gently, setting his coffee mug down on the table, and Vic isn’t certain why she finds it so endearing, that he’d gone out of his way to ask for ceramic, like he’d planned to stay a while. They have, of course, this isn’t a casual meet up. They’ve slept together more than a few times now, they’ve gone on dates. For all intents and purposes, they’re dating, even if they haven’t exactly had that conversation. She know he plans on staying because they’d set aside this time intentionally, but still, the ceramic makes it feel more certain. 

“Oh, I did a few different things, never really found my place, I don’t know. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a long time,” Vic shrugs her shoulders. This is what makes her most uncomfortable. The sex is amazing, and teasing him is fun. When everything is surface level, when everything is fun and physical it’s easy for her. She can handle that. 

This isn’t that though, this is Chief Ripley, Lucas, telling her about his life, the kinds of things you don’t just share with anyone. He’s confiding in her, and it makes her stomach churn and she’s not quite sure why. She knows now, about his history, that he’s been married twice, that both times it didn’t work out because Lucas was too dedicated to the job, too unwilling to compromise. But she’s not quite sure what that means for her; if it means that Lucas has those sort of aspirations again, or if it means he doesn’t, and she’s not certain which she’s hoping for, really. 

“Well that’s vague and nonspecific and now I’m a little concerned,” Lucas laughs teasingly, a little smirk hidden behind his coffee mug, and Vic flushes, letting out an embarrassed little laugh. She hates, really, how easily he gets under her skin, how nervous and giggly he makes her every time he teases her. 

“No, its not, I just...,” she stumbles over her words a bit before settling on a definitive, “I like my air of mystery,” Vic beams. She can’t help it around him. Or at least she mostly can’t help it until she catches a glimpse of _something_ familiar over Lucas’s shoulder.   
“Air of mystery is great and all but you could-” Lucas starts to reply, but Vic waves her hand at him, shushing him loudly as she slinks down in her chair, hoping to hide behind his broad shoulders just out of view. “What on earth are you doing?” Lucas asks, that familiar look of bemusement on his face. 

“Be quiet they’ll hear you,” Vic whispers, though her voice is much louder than it should be for a whisper, and she leans to the side, still slumped dramatically in her chair. 

“Who will hear us?” Lucas asks with a chuckle, craning his neck to look over his shoulder, but the smile fades quickly when he spots exactly who Vic had. Andy, Maya, Travis. The three people in the station certain to make a fuss, the ones most definitely unable to look the other way. 

“Why are they here, this is ten miles outside of our area, no one lives around here,” Vic half whispers half whines, watching a little bit of the smile fade off Lucas’s face. She’s not sure what to read into that, but it sends her spiraling. They’ve obviously crossed the line from professionalism, and they’re both aware that this is more than just sex, but beyond that, there’s been no discussion because its complicated. 

“Hughes?” Vic flinches as she hears her name called across the coffee shop, but she sits back up straight, because there’s no sense in trying to pretend its not her; Andy isn’t stupid, and she’s already walking over, hauling Travis and Maya behind her. “Vic, what are you doing here?” Andy asks, but her voice trails off at the end, eyes drifting over to Lucas, only just realizing he’s sitting there.

“Chief,” Maya says first, the surprise evident in her voice, and its three sets of eyes darting back and forth between Vic and Lucas, saying enough even though no one is willing to ask. 

“Herrera, Bishop, Montgomery,” Lucas nods his greeting to each of them, just as poised and collected as ever, but Vic is twisting in her seat like a kindergartner caught sneaking candy. She knows all three of them well enough to know that they can see right through her, that any excuse she comes up with they won’t believe. 

And she remembers acutely, how angry everyone was with Andy and Jack, when they found out about their relationship. And maybe Vic wouldn’t call this a relationship, not yet, but she knows that won’t make much of a difference to them, and this isn’t one of their own, but it’s their boss. 

“Hey guys,” Vic sort of squeaks out, “they’ve got the best coffee here, don’t they? It’s really good, I heard they roast their own beans,” its literal world vomit, and she knows it but she can’t help the words from coming out of her mouth, dropping her gaze, turning to her coffee cup, cursing inwardly. 

“That’s why you’re here?” Andy raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it, “for the coffee?”

“Hughes here asked if she could talk with me about the officer track, even if it’s still a few years out for possibility, never too early to start figuring out what you want,” Lucas comments, lifting his coffee mug to take a sip. 

“Officer track,” Maya comments with a nod, like she doesn’t quite believe it. Vic knows she doesn’t. That’s the problem with spending so much time together, the long shifts, the dangerous situations they end up in, they know each other a little too well. 

There’s further exchange, but Vic’s not really sure what’s being said, it's awkward and uncomfortable and there’s long pauses, and eventually the three of them say their goodbyes and head for the door. And Vic pauses, looking at Lucas, because she has things that she wants to say to him, questions she wants to ask, like how he’s so comfortable lying about what they are. But for the moment, she’s more concerned with her friends, the people in her life she knows will be there even if a relationship doesn’t pan out. 

“Can you wait here, for just a second?” She asks as she stands up from the table, and really she doesn’t bother to wait for an answer, just runs after the three, catching them just outside the coffee shop door. 

“Guys wait,” she calls, and they turn in sync to look at her, eyebrows raised, similar questioning looks. “Let me, I just, I know that looked weird back there,” she gestures to the shop, a little breathless. 

“Yeah it looks like you’re on a date with Chief Ripley,” Maya responds quickly, “which can’t be the case because you know how supremely inappropriate that would be,” her eyes narrow into a silent accusation. 

“Not to mention unethical,” Travis adds for good measure. 

“Look,” the resolve settles in her stomach, because she knows it isn’t an ideal situation, but she understands the insinuations they’re making, that maybe she’s doing this to get ahead, to take advantage of the situation. But she and Lucas, whatever they are, its more than that. “I know what you’re thinking, and I know what you’re assuming and it’s not like that. And I know it’s weird, I mean hell it’s weird for me because he’s our boss’s boss’s boss, but I like him,” she pauses, taking in an unsteady breath, “I think maybe I love him.” And really she can’t believe she’s said that aloud, when she hasn’t let herself even think it before, but she powers through, “I’ve supported all of you through some questionable decisions, so I would appreciate it if my _friends_ would reciprocate.”

Still, Vic can see Maya and Andy sharing a look, and Travis just lets out a soft sigh. “We have to go,” he says and they haven’t actually explained where they’re headed or why they’re here of all places, but Vic doesn’t care enough to ask at the moment. “Can we talk about this later?”

Vic nods, face falling into a sort of sour expression even as Travis offers a gentle pat on her shoulder. They’re going to stage some sort of intervention, they don’t believe that what she says it is between her and Lucas is actually what it is. She knows that Travis must think that Lucas is taking advantage of her. And she deflates, just a little bit, shoulders sagging as she heads back inside. 

She hadn’t realized until just now how much she wanted their approval, how much she wanted to be able to tell them how fun, and exciting everything has been, how happy she feels when she’s with him. 

Instead Vic just settles down into the chair across from Lucas again, hands instinctively settling around her coffee cup, and Lucas sets his phone down, looking up at her with that same soft affection that has her chest swelling instantly. “Is everything okay?” He asks gently. 

“So I asked you about the officer track?” She looks up at him, no hint of teasing, jaw squared. She wasn’t angry about it before, wasn’t upset, but now, with the burning sting of disapproval from her closest friends, she can’t help but wonder if they’re right. If she means less to him than he does to her. 

Lucas sighs, “I take it they’re a little too smart to fall for that?” he asks sheepishly. 

“You just had that lie right there at the ready. What did you have to come up with an excuse before hand? Rationalize it to yourself before you’d spend time with me?” She raises an eyebrow, voice taking on that sort of bouncy inflection she gets when she’s trying to cover up the hurt. 

Lucas furrows his brows, face falling like he wasn’t expecting this sort of conversation, like he’s surprised by her defensiveness. “I just thought you’d want to tell your friends about our relationship on your own terms.”

“Yeah, well, wait, what?” Vic blinks twice, a little delayed in processing what exactly he’s just said. 

“What?” Lucas just cocks his head. 

“Our relationship?” Vic asks, suddenly fighting back a smirk, chest puffed just a little as a bright blush blooms across Lucas’s cheeks. 

“Yeah, I thought that’s what we…” Lucas trails off, the first hint of genuine uncertainty she’s ever seen on his face, but that isn’t enough to stop Vic from beaming, settled back in her chair, confidence restored. 

“Am I your girlfriend?” Vic teases in a sort of sing song voice, “you like me, you want to kiss me,” she continues teasingly, and Lucas rolls his eyes, that familiar amused smirk on his face, and he leans across the table to pull her into a sweet, soft kiss. 

When he pulls back, hand still settled on the back of her neck, he’s smiling, “can you shut up?” he whispers, and Vic just laughs, bright, and bubbly. “We’ll figure the rest of it out eventually. But yeah. I like you, Victoria.” 

Vic just nods, that same smile just plastered to her face, “that makes sense. I’m pretty likeable.” And she’s teasing, sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that her stomach is flipping in a delightfully nervous sort of way, and she’s sure now, that what she told them before is true. That she loves him.


End file.
